A Night of Madness in Paris

All the people of the free world stand with Paris and the French people in solidarity during these dark days of sadness. A dark shroud of madness descended on Paris yesterday, but it failed to smother the bright lights of liberté, égalité, and fraternité in a city known as the City of Light. Hopefully the French people will not lose sight of their national aspirations and come through this tragedy with these lights shining ever brighter in its aftermath. These lights epitomize the common basic human values shared, aspired and reflected by majority of humanity.

It is sad that a few ignorant, misguided youths, severely misled by a few extremists amid their religious leadership, blindly carried out such senseless and heinous acts of atrocity, where innocent lives were taken to make a fruitless point. Their senseless acts will not only cast a bad light on their own religion in general but also unfairly jeopardize the waves of refugees seeking asylum from the strife-weary, war-torn Middle East in particular. A political backlash will come from the extreme right in some host countries to turn away those desperate souls seeking a better life in Europe and elsewhere.

From the political viewpoint, we the Americans, have more in common with the French than with the British. Our Founding Fathers based the United States Declaration of Independence and the country’s Constitution on the same universal principles of human rights similar to French national motto. Although we are still found wanting on the fraternité side; and Katharine Lee Bates tried to address that with “And crown thy good with brotherhood” in her beloved patriotic song, “America the Beautiful.” We still have quite a way to go before we get there.

Even our Star-Spangled Banner is sometimes called the "Red, White and Blue", the same colors as the French Tricolor. While the British brought us mad King George, class system snobbery, Puritan’s religious fanaticism, puritanic prudery, watercress-cucumber tea sandwiches and the Boston Tea Party, the French people gave us Marquis Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, the Statue of Liberty, laissez-faire, joie de vivre, French fries and champagne.

What would party rock to, without that ethanol buzz? English tea? Give me a break! Instead of those snobbish, upper-classy British tea sandwiches, the French gave us another simple, popular Bourgeois fare, the French fries. What would American lunch do, without those gluten-free carbohydrate fix? I shudder to think.

"Champagne and greasy French fries," you asked "what kind of food and wine pairing is this? Is that the best you can think of? Out of so many fine, heathy French cuisines and drinks Julia Child had shown us? Obviously, you are no connoisseur of fine French gourmet, are you?" Well, that maybe so, but mine is a greater version of the great French paradox, like the coupling of a commoner, Kate Middleton, with the British crown-aspirant, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of the House of Windsor, aka Saxe-Coburg und Gotha cum Mountbatten. That's both a big mouthful, if you ask me. The name and the house, that is. Well, there is no confusion there. It is not like the name is your average John Smith. With 20 possible (conservatively) popular names for each of the 4 name placeholders, the probability of another person having the same name would be 1 in 20 to the 4th power, let alone a prince. Ditto with the house name, hyphenates notwithstanding.

Rarer still, if you were named after the country's patron saint by a fervently patriotic and religiously devout parent, you would be called George George George George of the House George-George and George with George, and a title apropos, the Dude of George. Did his parent bite off from the royal trappings more than George George George George can chew? I would say so. That was quite a big bite, believe me you. By George, he almost chokes on them every time he opens his mouth trying to announce his own name and nearly runs out of breath just by briefly mentioning it. Poor George George George George of the House George-George and George with George, the Dude of George! Whew!

Now, between the commoner and the prince, which one is the fine sparkling drink and which one is the plain, common snack in their relationship? Well, your guess is as good as mine. This food pairing is an acquired taste then. It just needs some getting used to, that’s all, especially for the British upper-crust’s stiff upper-lips’ taste buds. The commoner and the prince, that is. For some stiffer upper-lipped crème de la crème nobility, it is more than a French paradox, it is the pollution and dilution of the English blue blood, like serving champagne over ice, a severe affront of proper protocol, tradition and taste. Foods do get into your blood stream, you know, especially quicker when coupled with alcohol, hence the dilution and pollution bits. Well, there is always a first in history. Once a precedent is set, certain history is bound to repeat itself. All I have been saying here is about pairing of French fries and champagne. Yes?

To each his or her own taste then. Champagne and French fries, anyone? It is on the house, if you guess the name right. Or see if you can just say it in one breath. OK then. Let’s par-tee! Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Faire la nouba! C'est la vie! And bon appétit!

P.S.: Fight terror with humor!

#PrayForParis #StandByFrance #FrenchNationalMotto #JeSuisParis #FightTerrorWithHumor